A review on high thermally conductive polymeric composites

Abstract

Polymers are known as thermally insulated materials with reported effective thermal conductivity (K eff ) in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 Wm À1 K À1 . However, increasing demand for smaller and more powerful electronics has created the need for thermally conductive polymers for use in heat exchangers and electronic packaging applications. Given this background, much research has been done over the past two decades to increase the K eff of polymers. Based on the strategy involved, those works can be divided into two main categories:(i) increasing the K eff of the neat polymer by aligning its chains orientation; and (ii) increasing polymer K eff by fabrication of polymeric composites with thermally conductive filler networks. Among these two strategies, the former is limited to nanoscale laboratory research and is difficult to scale up for mass production. Therefore, this work is mainly focused on the latter category, thermally conductive polymeric composites, which has a higher potential for large-scale production. This work aims to summarize, evaluate, and highlight the successful strategies of the recent efforts in enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymer composites. The major achievements, future challenges, and the outlooks of high thermally conductive polymeric composites are presented by analyzing the results of about 300 works.

Interpenetrating shape memory polyimide‐polyaniline composites with electrical conductivity

“…Sufficient hydrogen bonds in the interpenetrating networks can provide pathways for electrons transportation to the SMPI-PANI composites. [35][36][37]…”

Synergistic effect of hybrid hydroxylated boron nitride and cellulose nanocrystals for enhancing the thermal, mechanical, and hydrophobic properties of composite film

“…[ 57 ] The incorporation of BN and CNC hybrid filler into biodegradable composites expands its applicability in fields also including mechatronics, [ 58 ] implants, [ 59 ] hydrogel, [ 24 ] thermal management, [ 60 ] biomedical, [ 61 ] and thermal conductive applications. [ 62 ]…”

“…[57] The incorporation of BN and CNC hybrid filler into biodegradable composites expands its applicability in fields also including mechatronics, [58] implants, [59] hydrogel, [24] thermal management, [60] biomedical, [61] and thermal conductive applications. [62] This study aims to fabricate the hybrid hydroxylated BN/PVA film via a solution casting method impregnated with CNC. The influence of hybrid hydroxylated BN and CNC on the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the resultant BN/CNC/PVA film was studied.…”

Scalable methods for directional assembly of fillers in polymer composites: Creating pathways for improving material properties

“…Early work in the field of polymer composites for controlling the distribution of fillers often employed several methods to create homogeneous dispersion of fillers in the matrix, such as sonication, [55,56] mixing, [57][58][59] and high shearing. [60,61] Building on these efforts, it was found that controlling filler distribution is advantageous for enhancing composite properties in many practical applications, [62][63][64][65][66] particularly through developing interconnected (networklike) or macroscopically oriented filler morphology. For example, aligning reinforcing agents in the polymer matrix along the thickness direction can improve the ability of composites to withstand external force, [63,67,68] through effective dissipation of locally concentrated energy.…”